Storytelling
613 posts
Doing The Work Anyway
Some people might say it takes a certain kind of madness to work on a project nobody is waiting for. Who in their right mind devotes months or even years to creating something no one said they wanted? And yet, that’s what our art requires of us. We show up and do it anyway, not…
Creativity Is A Journey
Eleven years ago, I discovered blogging. Inspired by my clients’ stories and their questions, I began posting weekly, then daily for a while. I hadn’t written for an audience since I left school more than thirty years before. Nobody was more surprised than I was to discover that people wanted to rea
Storytelling For The Rest Of Us
Every decision you’ve ever made was influenced by a story—every single one. From the decision about whether to wear a mask during a pandemic, to the charities you choose to support. A story you heard, the story you believed or that story you told yourself, had an impact on those choices. If stories
Stories For Good
Stories are our most persuasive technology. The stories we tell can be powerful catalysts for change. But the stories that silence us are the most potent of all. The stories we choose to believe and believe in are the making of us. We can use our voices to raise the voices of those whose stories…
The Captive Vs. The Captivated
When people are given the microphone or stand on a stage, they have our attention, we listen. They have a captive audience for eighteen minutes, an hour or maybe a day—if they’re lucky. Here’s the thing, you don’t need a captive audience to be heard. You need better true stories, well told. You don’
Are You Ready To Find Your Voice?
Eleven years ago, as I was pivoting my business, I began reading a new book. I was barely two paragraphs in when the following sentence stopped me in my tracks. ‘Either you’re going to tell stories that spread, or you will become irrelevant.’ Those words, written by my friend and colleague, Seth God
The Myth Of The Gifted Storyteller
Over and over again, we’ve heard people like Steve Jobs described as ‘a gifted storyteller’. We’ve come to believe that storytelling is an art reserved for the chosen few—that great storytellers are born, not made. How can that possibly be true? What all great storytellers have in common is more tha
The Best Stories Are Lived
It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m visiting the smallest branch of my favourite chocolate shop. It’s a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business, and it shows. The enthusiasm of the assistants is palpable. ‘I’ve never worked for a company like this,’ the woman behind the counter says. ‘I’ve
Simple Questions To Ask When Your Marketing Isn’t Working
My marketing isn’t working. This sweeping declaration leads us to draw (sometimes incorrect), conclusions that influence our future marketing plans and business strategy. We can’t fix our marketing when we don’t know why it’s broken. But where do we start? Here are seven questions to ask when your m
On Finding The Right Customers
Building a sustainable and fulfilling business isn’t just about finding enough customers—it’s about finding enough of the right customers. Company-customer fit is unerrtated.
Believed In
The one thing all successful ideas have in common is that they spread. But why?
The Story Advantage
Our goal must always be to do what it takes, not just to be seen, but to matter. We don’t have to manufacture a message to get more attention, we have to create more affinity by getting better at saying what’s true.
Make Your Customer The Hero
The best marketers give people something to believe in, not just something to buy.
Your Brand Is What You Consistently Do
What you consistently do—every time, without fail, differentiates your business.
Stories Make Us Stronger
We build more resilient families, companies and communities when we know who we are. We get stronger together when we prioritise finding, owning and sharing our stories.
The Flipside Of Persuasion
Sales and marketing are as much about understanding as they are about persuading.
One Chance
How would things be different and better if we acted as if every chance to do the right thing was our first, last or only one?
The Value Shift
Sally studied Film and TV at college. She wants to be a director one day. But that’s a distant goal. In the meantime, she’s decided to put the skills she learned in college to work. Sally built a website and started working for friends of friends on their promotional business videos. Sally is buildi
Who Do You Want To Be To Whom?
The key question for all of us, no matter what business we’re in, is who do we want to be to whom? When we lose sight of who we’re in business to serve, and why we lose more than our competitive advantage. We lose the heart and soul of our business.
How Obstacles Create Value
The better we understand the obstacle, the better we get at solving the problem. And the better we can describe the obstacle, the better we become at selling the solution.
